Review: Anderillium Inks

Federalist Pens and Paper sent samples of all sixteen inks offered by Anderillium. That’s a lot of ink!

Swatches on Tomoe River paper made with a cotton swab and the name written with a dip style fountain pen reveal clear, bright colors and a well-rounded selection. I did not see any sheen though other reviewers have. The paper and pen combination can make such a difference.

All of the inks were well-behaved with average to slightly dry flow though I do not have a pen that would properly test their abilities to tame a truly excessive flow. In the past, some inks have been inclined to release a tad too much ink from the pen used for the writing samples. Not the case with any of the Anderillium inks. I could also write at least a half page with one dip making the inks especially useful.

For my own uses, Pompadour Cotinga Burgundy, Colossal Squid Dark and Cuttlefish Brown are likely prospects. The Cotinga and my burgundy Delike New Moon F ought to get along very well while the Colossal Squid should be right for the Lamy Studio F. Cuttlefish Brown could be destined for the Platinum #3776 Music Nib but the Platinum Century Nice M might also make a good mate. So many choices. So many pens clamoring for attention. What’s an inkophile to do?

Caveat: In all my years of writing reviews, I have never had so much trouble getting ink swatch photos to accurately reflect colors. We tried two cameras with a lightbox as well as sunlight in addition to scanning them, something I haven’t done in ages. I will post some of the results, but for the true colors check the manufacturer’s website. Or order ink samples from Federalist Pens. That’s the best way to know what you are getting before making an investment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Anderillium Inks Cephalopod Series by KraftyChloé.

Finding Stickers That Work With Fountain Pens

From a search for new ways to decorate journal pages, paper washi stickers are proving to be a very good option. Mine work with fountain pen ink although they can take a minute or two to dry. PVC stickers are plastic and repel ink so read listings to be sure you are buying the paper kind. The package I purchased contains paper as well as plastic stickers, the latter of which are waterproof and attractive for decorating journal covers amongst other uses.

The Traveler’s Journal in the photo has a 4mm grid for size reference. I have two additional packages on order, eucalyptus leaves and vintage flowers, for their small dimensions and subject matters. Combining them with my new rubber stamps ought to make my journals and notebooks colorful and lively, just the thing for summer.

Fountain Pen Ink In An Unexpected Place

While digging through a box of crafting supplies, an out of place bit of folded paper caught my eye. Instead of tossing it, I opened it to discover ink writing samples from July 22, 2015. Only four of the inks have seen pens in recent memory but the seal is in a nearby drawer ready for action. It is a mood seal that translates as “grow flowers to invite butterflies”. Nice thought, eh?

Think of all that has happened in the past seven years. In our hobby alone, the number of new retailers and products has exploded. Admittedly, I cannot keep up but I can admire the gumption and innovation especially in the sheen, shimmer and shine of some of the new inks. Pens have become more colorful with nibs that were once specialty becoming readily available, fude (bent nib) and flex in particular.

Stipula Verde Muschiato and Saffron are fall colors, but it might be interesting to use them this summer to remind me that cooler temperatures will arrive eventually, even if that seems impossibly distant today.

Do you still use the same inks and pens you did in 2015? If not, are there any you might want to revisit?

There’s A Problem With My Platinum Century Pen

My beautiful Platinum #3776 Century Nice has a problem. Due to the “Slip & Seal” mechanism, ink never dries out. The pen can lay idle for months and months and still write without hesitation. Knowing it is so trouble-free, I often forget it is inked. Not for the first time, it has been filled for so long that I have completely forgotten which ink is in it. My log has been no help. The ink is a medium brown that works very well with the rose gold appointments and medium nib. The combination is so well-matched that it bears repeating, if only I was certain of the ink.

After delving into my archives, I found a photo of the pen along with others in rotation a year ago that says at that time, it was filled with Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan. Can it really have been filled for a year and write perfectly without a single skip? Perhaps I have forgotten an ink change and that brings into question the ink that is currently in it. Is it NKP or something else?

It may not be Kiowa Pecan, but that ink will do for the next fill of the Platinum Century. Plus my recording of which pen is filled with which ink needs to more consistent. How do you keep track of pens and inks? Suggestions are welcome.

Favorite Pens And Inks Updated

Today I updated my lists of favorite pens, inks and paper plus some of the best combinations I have used. Some items are vintage and others have been discontinued so you might not find them at your local retailer.

What are some of your favorites? Is your list subject to frequent changes or is it stable?

Favorite Fountain Pens

Favorite Inks

Favorite Paper

Favorite Matches

 

New Noodler’s Ink Labels

In my email this morning was an announcement from the distributor that “Noodler’s is going back to where it all started, the Catfish! Most of the new ink labels have the classic Noodler’s label of the Catfish. Some labels have descriptions below the catfish picture explaining the ink properties.”

To be honest, when I think of Noodler’s, I always picture the catfish. Certainly there have been other memorable labels, but the catfish is the one that stays with me.

Here is a peak at what is to come.

 

 

 

Noodler’s And The Pen Community

A few folks have gotten their knickers in a twist over pen and ink names. As a result, Noodler’s has changed the names of a number of products. Other manufacturers have given inks new names over the years ostensibly for marketing reasons though apparently the underlying formulas remained unchanged. To be accurate at representation, my policy has been to use the name on the bottle and that will continue. If I ever restock a bottle with a new name, I will make the switch but who uses up Noodler’s ink? Those bottles are huge!

For reference:

Previous Name Noodler’s Ink	New Name
19010 Kiowa Pecan	Pecan
19022 Apache Sunset	Southwest Sunset
19028 Ottoman Rose	Rose in the Louvre
19029 Navajo Turquoise	Mesa Turquoise
19034 Tiananmen	Discontinued
19035 Ottoman Azure	Azure
19036 Shah’s Rose	Pearl Diver Coral
19066 Bernanke Black	Brevity Black
19067 Bernanke Blue	Brevity Blue
19069 Rome Burning	Rome (one antique coin)
19070 Q-E’ternity ($&¢)	Brevity Blue-Black
19074 Park Red	Discontinued
19085 House Divided	Discontinued
19103 Anti-Fascist Blue (X-Feather Blue)	X-Feather Blue
19104 Noodler’s 1984 Ink	Discontinued
19105 Censor Red	Brevity Red
19810 Nikita 4.5 oz w/Free Pen	TBD
19814 Dragons Napalm 4.5 oz Free Pen	Dragon’s Fire
Noodler’s Fountain Pens
14045 Apache Tortoise Konrad Flex	Mesa Tortoise
15045 Apache Tortoise Ahab	Mesa Tortoise
15048 Cherokee Pearl Ahab	Oklahoma
15049 Comanche Ahab	Brazos River
15051 Black Crow Ahab	Raven
15054 Huron Ahab	Lake Champlain
15055 Iroquois Ahab	Lake Erie
15060 Navajo Turquoise Ahab	Mesa Turquoise
15063 Pima Tortoise Ahab	Canyon Tortoise
15066 Zuni Ahab	Wilderness twilight
Standard Flex Nibs
17066 Zuni Std Flex	Wilderness Twilight